


above the sky

by zarahjoyce



Category: Mahou Sentai Magiranger, Super Sentai - Fandom, Tokusatsu
Genre: DRAAAAMAAAAAAA, Drama, F/M, Gen, Post-Series, SO, and Urara being the lone human in Magitopia, married life woes, okay so I'm pissed they didn't address Snowgel telling Hikaru she thinks he's fit to be king, tadaaaa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24771469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarahjoyce/pseuds/zarahjoyce
Summary: He glances at her, then grabs her hand to hold it tightly. "You've been my wife for less than a month, Urara," Hikaru says. "You've been in Magitopia for even less than that. I don't want to overwhelm you with so many things too quickly... and I'm afraid that my agreeing to become King would do just that." Absently, he strokes the back of her hand with his thumb. "It can wait. If it can't, then Snowgel is free to look for someone else to groom as Magitopia's ruler.""But..." she whispers.What about Magitopia?-After Hikaru and Urara went to live in Magitopia, Snowgel once again mentions to Sungel his potential as its king.It doesnotgo well.
Relationships: Hikaru/Ozu Urara
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	above the sky

"--Urara?" Smoky says, waving a paw in front of her face. _"Oi!_ Urara!" When _that_ still doesn't work, he so very gently boops her on the nose. 

She blinks, having been broken out of her reverie by that act. "Smoky! How long have you been standing there?" Then, "Is Hikaru-sensei with you?" Even as she asks, she's already on her feet and looking around, half-expecting--

"NNNy-ope!" the magical cat replies, crossing his arms. "Master's still finishing up his lessons. Don't you know? He has _four_ disciples now. Goes to show how saving Magitopia _and_ the Surface World has built up his _amazing_ reputation as a teacher." He pauses, the adds slyly, "All with _my_ help, of course."

The wave of disappointment she feels surprises even _her._ "Is--is that so?"

Smoky seemingly notices her crestfallen expression because he then hurries to add, "But that's why he sent me home to you - so you won't be too lonely back here!"  
  
"I'm not lonely," she replies - a little _too_ quickly - before pasting a smile on her face and grabbing the cat by the arm. "I have you here, don't I? Anyway, it's good that you're back, Smoky - you can _also_ help me prepare dinner."  
  
"Man, do I _have_ to?" He makes a token effort to get away from her.  
  
"Either you do, or it's no food for you!" Urara plants her hands on her hips and glares. "For a week!"  
  
"Y-Yes, Mama!"

* * *

"Dinner was _amazing_ , Urara. Thank you." Hikaru takes her hand in his and smiles at her.  
  
She laughs, feeling lighter than she had that whole day. "Of course! Smoky told me how you've been working so hard for your students, so I thought you should have something spectacular to welcome you home."  
  
"Don't I already?" he asks.  
  
"Hm?" She raises her brow at him in surprise.  
  
In response, he lifts her hand - and kisses the back of it.  
  
Urara blushes.  
  
From his seat, Smoky says, "Ew! Gross!"  
  
Hikaru laughs.   
  
Urara rolls her eyes at the cat.  
  
"It's kind of nostalgic, isn't it?" she says, pulling away and taking her fork again to play with her food. "You teaching others again?"  
  
He leans back on his chair, adopting a more thoughtful expression now. "I must admit I kind of missed it," he replies. "Though my students now are attentive, respectful, and very eager to please, something I've _never_ had before."   
  
"H-Hey!" she balks, feeling offended on behalf of her siblings. "I don't think we were _that_ bad!"  
  
"Weren't you?" he teased.  
  
When she frowned at him, Hikaru hastens to add, "Not that it's a bad thing. You all challenged me back then - in a way that made me strive to be _better."_ He pauses, contemplating. "Whatever I can teach my students now will partly be what you and the others have taught me, so what I know now is due to my meeting all of you... and it all started with _you_ saving _me."  
  
_ "H-Hikaru-sensei," she says, for lack of nothing better to tell him - not when he's looking at her _that way_ again--  
  
"Gross!" Smoky repeats, slamming his paws on the table and standing up. "Gross, gross, gross!"  
  
"Smoky, be quiet!" Urara reprimands him. "Or else you'll be _the only one_ doing the dishes tonight!"

"Y-Yes, Mama!"  
  
Hikaru laughs.  
  


* * *

The next day, while Hikaru's out teaching Urara takes Smoky with her so she can pick their food.  
  
That's another odd thing about Magitopia - while their basic necessities _can_ be conjured by magic, they can also be gathered from the bountiful forests around them which, Urara finds, taste even better than if she were to make them appear out of thin air.  
  
Moreover, doing it this way makes her feel closer to her brother, Makito, whom she thinks will enjoy Magitopia's unlimited supply of vegetables the most.  
  
On the way to the forest, she passes by several Magitopian beings. _Heavenly Saints,_ her mind corrects, noting how they looked nothing like her, but more like the true appearances of both her father and Hikaru - something equal parts terrifying _and_ beautiful.  
  
She can't help but feel them looking at her - because, to them, _she's_ the odd-looking one.  
  
The one who doesn't belong here.  
  
 _Courage,_ Urara thinks, wishing for her parents - or any of her siblings - to be with her now.  
  
"--too bad, isn't it?" one of them says. "That Sungel's taken himself a _human--"_  
  
Urara practically grabs Smoky and sprints away.   
  
"Hey," the magical cat tells her sometime later, "you shouldn't mind them, you know."   
  
She pauses from picking up herbs. "So you're aware of it?" Urara asks, looking up at him. "That they're talking about me?"  
  
Smoky rubs his nose. "Well _of course_ they are! You're the only human here. You're the only one Magiel tolerated to _live_ here! Even your mother _never_ had the privilege, remember?"  
  
"...still," Urara says softly. "I can't help but feel like--"  
  
"Like?" the cat prompts.  
  
 _Like I'm so alone here._  
  
She shakes her head, goes up to her feet without ever finishing that sentiment. "Let's go home, Smoky. You need to go back to your lamp. Your time must be up soon."  
  
"Well I still have about two hours, so you know--"  
  
But Urara's already started walking back to their house.  
  


* * *

That evening, both she and Hikaru were quiet as they're partaking their dinner.

She thinks about bringing the subject up - about how her being the only human in Magitopia is making her feel a bit-- well, _lonely_ , how she misses her family and wants them here at times - but then Urara glances at her husband and decides to hold her tongue.

They jointly decided to live here, after all. It isn't like he forcefully made her uproot herself to stay here. He'd brought it up one day - the possibility that perhaps she _may_ want to think about living in Magitopia with him - and she'd jumped at the opportunity without hesitations, without questions.

Maybe _she should have_ , come to think of it. Maybe if she were as smart as Tsubasa was, maybe she'd be able to _think_ about the repercussions of such a decision before giving her word.

Back then all she can think about was how happy Hikaru seemed at her response - and how happy she was at making _him_ happy. 

But now--

"Do you know?" Hikaru says out of the blue. "Snowgel came by the school today."

"Snowgel?" Urara echoes, glad at the opportunity to break out of her bleak thoughts. "That's great! How is she? I haven't seen her since--"

"She--" He pauses, as if trying to find a way to put his thoughts into words. "She brought up the possibility of me being the King of Magitopia again."

She blinks at him for several moments.

 _"King?"_ she repeats, already halfway to shocked. "Of _Magitopia?"_

_Again?_

Hikaru wipes his mouth and glares at his food as if it's personally offending him. "She told me I had all the makings for it."

It takes her three seconds to come up with something in response to _that._

 _"Of course_ you do!" Urara exclaims. "You're Hikaru-sensei - _Sungel!_ The Heavenly Hero Magishine who saved Magitopia from N Ma--"

"Something I couldn't have done without all of you. Alone, I was--" He pauses again, looking conflicted. Hikaru grabs her hand and squeezes. "It's... too much for me, something I told Snowgel time and again. I don't think I'm worthy to be King. I don't think I'll _ever_ be worthy."

"But--" she says, searching his face, "do you _want_ to be?"

He doesn't answer.

* * *

The next day, Snowgel herself appears before Urara - which should surprise her, but doesn't.

"Hikaru as King of Magitopia," Urara says, pushing a cup of tea towards the Heavenly Saint even if she's not sure if Snowgel can actually _drink_ it. "It's a wonderful thing to think about."

"It shouldn't even be _merely_ a thought," Snowgel replies, picking up the cup of tea and studying it before placing it back on the table. "With my guidance, I'm sure I can make it a reality. Magiel and I are in agreement that we need a King." She sniffs. "Blagel had been the perfect candidate for the position, but back then he'd already met your mother and had decided to live in the Surface World with her. A real shame, _that."_

"Otoosan?" Urara repeats faintly, sinking on the chair in front of the Heavenly Saint with the tray still in her hands.

_"Of course_ I'd be looking at his disciple now as a replacement candidate, and I'm very pleased Sungel is as he is now." Snowgel's unblinking eyes focus on Urara. "Though him taking a human wife is something he _also_ took after his teacher, seems like." 

_\--too bad, isn't it? That Sungel's taken himself a_ human--

She can't help it; Urara flinches.

"I suppose I _should_ be glad he decided to come back here, however, instead of wasting away his talents on the Surface World like Blagel after N Ma's defeat," Snowgel continues, thankfully oblivious of Urara's thoughts.

Urara grips the tray like it's the most important object to her at that moment. 

Her father... should have been king? But he'd traded all _that_ to live with his wife and his family. As a husband... and as a father.

And now Hikaru-- no, _Sungel_ \--

Could he be treading along the same path like her father did?

Would he _also_ cast aside this great opportunity for his family?

For... _her?_

No, no. They don't even have any children yet. Besides, they're already residing at Magitopia! Should Hikaru decide to be King, there's _nothing_ to stop him from pursuing that path. 

"Snowgel," Urara says cautiously, "what would you like me to do?"

"Magician of the Blue," the Heavenly Saint replies. "I would like you to convince him that becoming King is his destiny - the next logical step he _has_ to take, as a Heavenly Hero. He has a responsibility to Magitopia, after all. He'd be a fool _not_ to perform it." Snowgel reverts to her infant form, just then. "Perhaps he'd listen to you, seeing as you're his _wife_ now."

Urara rises to her feet and bows. "I will... try."

"See to it that you do. For Magitopia's sake."

Only after saying that did the Heavenly Saint depart from their home.

* * *

"Snowgel talked to _you?"_ Hikaru asks, his eyes wide.

Should she have kept it a secret? Then again, _how_ could she bring the topic up if she did? Urara places her fork down and says, "She thinks I may be able to persuade you to accept her offer."

He reaches for his table napkin, wipes his mouth, and stands, not even finishing the apple pie she'd made for him. "She shouldn't have bothered you," Hikaru says, his expression grim. "I already _told_ her--"

"Why not?" she asks, following him as he exits their dining room. "It _is_ the logical next step for you as a Heavenly--"

"Do _you_ really think so, Urara?" he demands, turning to face her again. "Or are you just repeating what Snowgel told you to say?"

She pauses, just gaping at him. "You think I'll even _try_ to persuade you if I don't believe it'll be good for you in the first place?" Urara asks, her tone somewhat sounding _hurt._

Hikaru sits down on a chair and grimaces deeply. Then, "The road to becoming a king is not at all an easy path to take. It can be very challenging not just for me - but for you, as well."

"For... me?" Urara echoes.

He glances at her, then grabs her hand to hold it tightly. "You've been my wife for less than a month, Urara," Hikaru says. "You've been in Magitopia for even less than that. I don't want to overwhelm you with so many things too quickly... and I'm afraid that my agreeing to become King would do just that." Absently, he strokes the back of her hand with his thumb. "It can wait. If it can't, then Snowgel is free to look for someone else to groom as Magitopia's ruler."

"But..."

_What about Magitopia?_

He then rises to his feet and engulfs her in a hug. "I choose to be a husband to you first. For now, I'm accepting no other role than that."

_Me,_ she realizes with some surprise.

_He's choosing me.  
_  
Urara thinks she _should_ feel elated, that Hikaru's placing her over and above any inclinations he may have to lead Magitopia as its king - the way she _always_ feels whenever she realizes that this beautiful, wonderful being has fallen for _her._

And yet--

_\--too bad, isn't it? That Sungel's taken himself a_ human--  
 _  
Blagel had been the perfect candidate for the position, but back then he'd already met your mother and decided to live in the Surface World with her. A real shame,_ that.

_I would like you to convince him that becoming King is his destiny - the next logical step he_ has _to take, as a Heavenly Hero._ _He has a responsibility to Magitopia, after all. He'd be a fool_ not _to perform it._

Urara buries her face in his chest.

It seems _this_ is also something the student is taking after his teacher.

Unless--

...Unless.

"I love you, Hikaru-sensei," she whispers - then feels his arms tighten around her as he responds in kind.

And at that moment, she comes to a decision.

_For Magitopia's sake._

* * *

_"--U-Ura-nee?"  
_  
Tsubasa looks _so_ surprised upon opening his door and finding her outside of it that it's almost comical - and Urara would have laughed at him had she felt like she's still capable of it.

"Long time no see, Tsubasa!" she greets, trying to summon a smile for his sake - except it comes off painful and stiff and Urara ends up throwing herself at her brother instead, her arms winding themselves around his neck.

He catches her easily, however. "Ura-nee, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Trying to compose herself, she draws away from him and asks, "What? Am I not allowed to visit you now?"

"Not like this," he says, holding her by the shoulders and studying her. "Especially not _alone_ since you're already married. Where's Hikaru-sensei?" He looks behind her, seemingly expecting her husband to greet him next. 

Urara swallows the lump in her throat. "He's--"

"Is that your bag?" Tsubasa asks, pointing at the luggage at her feet. "Did you-- did you _leave_ Magitopia?"

_"Can_ I come in first?" she replies, trying to buy herself time before explaining her predicament. "Can we talk inside?" 

"Oh right, right." Tsubasa opens the door wider, and she picks up her luggage and enters. 

"Sorry it's uh... it's a bit messy," he says, trying to straighten a spot for her to sit on. "I'm usually away for boxing practice nowadays so--"

"It's fine," Urara says, waving the apology away. Any other day she'll scold him for being so sloppy, but now-- "I'll just stay for a day or two. Maybe until I can find a place of-- of my own a-and--"

The word almost ends on a sob.

"Ura-nee." Tsubasa's tone booked no argument now, even as he has laid a comforting hand on her arm and is crouching before her. "What's going on? Where _is_ Hikaru-sensei?"

She curls her hands to fists on her lap, takes a deep breath. "I've... I've left him."

For three seconds, neither of them speaks.

_"What?"_ Tsubasa exclaims, shooting up to his feet. "What did he _do_ to you? Ura-nee, you--"

_"No!_ It's not his fault, all right?" Urara hurries to add. "Hikaru-sensei is _not at all_ to blame here. _Please_ don't think that. I just-- I feel like--" She bites down on her lip.

Their love had been such a fairy tale in the beginning, and now...

Perhaps falling for her - and marrying her - was a mistake to begin with.

For _him_ , anyway.

Perhaps--

"Ura-nee," Tsubasa says, more gentle than she's _ever_ heard him speak. "Tell me what happened."

After a few seconds--

\--she does.

* * *

"I'm surprised you looked for me," Tsubasa admits, clearing his bed while she watches by his bedroom door. "I would think you would've gone to Hou-nee first or--"

"So would Hikaru-sensei," she replies, twisting her hands. "And, well, I don't think Houka-chan can lie convincingly to him, anyway, even if I ask her to."

He straightens himself immediately. "And you think _I_ can?"

Urara gives him a small smile. _"Please?_ Just... tell him you haven't heard from me ever since we left for Magitopia."

Tsubasa sighs. "Like I have a choice?" He crosses his arms. _"You know_ he's going to kill me for this, right? If he finds out I'm hiding you--"

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this," she says, meaning it. "I don't know where else to go. I'll just make it up to you by--"

His Magiphone starts ringing incessantly just then, interrupting her.

Shooting his sister a wry look, Tsubasa opens it and answers, "Hou-nee."

"Big emergency! Big disaster! Big-- oh, things that mean the same as those two!" Even from a distance Urara can hear their older sister's panicked voice. "Tsubasa-chan! _Help!"_

He sits at the edge of the bed, and Urara positions herself closer to him so she can hear better. "Calm down, Hou-nee. What's wrong?"

"Urara-chan! _She's missing!"_ Houka shrieks.

Urara's throat tightens.

How could Houka-chan know _a_ _lready?_

Unless--

Tsubasa glares at Urara and clears his throat. "Missing? That's impossible. How can you tell? Isn't Ura-nee in Magitopia?"

"She was! She _was!_ But Hikaru-sensei came to visit me just now to ask if I'd seen her since _apparently_ she took all her clothes with her and left Magitopia without telling him _or_ Sumo-chan!"

Urara stands - and starts pacing.

Too soon. This is--

"That's absurd," Tsubasa scoffs. Then, all the while looking at Urara he adds, "Ura-nee won't _ever_ do that to him without any good reason! Did you try calling her Magiphone?"

"Of course I did - but it's not ringing!"

Urara takes her phone out of her pocket - if only to show her brother that it's been turned _off._

Tsubasa pinches the bridge of his nose. "What else did Hikaru-sensei say?"

"You really think I can get him to talk properly when Urara-chan's _missing?"_ The disbelief in their sister's voice is stark. "It's a wonder I was able to get _that much_ out of him in the first place! Anyway, I think he's off to find you--"

_"What?"_ Tsubasa shoots up to his feet. "He's... he's coming to find _me?_ Why?"

"Why not? He wants to check if one of us had seen her, and it just so happened that he started with _me--"_

Just then, hard knocks almost rattled Tsubasa's front door off its hinges, making Urara panic even more.

It was only a little bit after two in the afternoon; _can_ he be here already? She'd made sure to leave only _after_ Hikaru's gone off to teach, estimating that by the time he comes back later that day, she would have had at least a few hours to find one of her siblings and convince them to hide her. By her calculations, he _should_ still be in Magitopia at this very hour.

So what's he doing _here?_

She grabs Tsubasa's arm and starts pushing him out of the bedroom. 

"Fine! _Fine!_ Stop pushing!" Tsubasa says.

"--Tsubasa-chan?" Houka asks. "Is someone else there with you?" She gasps loudly. "Don't tell me-- you're living with a girl? Are you? _Are you?"_

Tsubasa sighs. "Never mind _that._ I think Hikaru-sensei's already here. Gotta go."

"Okay~ I'll be calling Oniichan and Kai-chan next, anyway--"

He closes his phone, and before he speaks the forceful knocks assaults his door again.

Tsubasa sighs.

_Again._

"You owe me big time for this," he tells his sister, glaring at her for all he's worth. "Big time."

She gives him a quick hug anyway. "Thank you, Tsubasa." Before he leaves, she grabs his arm and says, "Just remember, what we're doing now is for Magitopia and Hikaru-sensei's sake, okay?"

He grimaces. Then, Tsubasa takes something out of the pocket of his pants - a vial - and hands it to her. "If you're serious about not wanting anyone to find you, you better drink this," he says.

"What's--"

"It's a potion to avoid anyone tracking you down with a spell - in case someone _ever_ thinks about doing it." Then Tsubasa pushes her inside his room, closes the door behind him - and goes to meet Hikaru-sensei at the front door.

Without another word Urara uncaps the vial and drinks the potion, before sinking at the edge of her brother's unkempt bed - feeling something warm engulf her, at that moment.

_What I'm doing... is for Magitopia and Hikaru-sensei's sake.  
_  
She just wishes she can believe it.

* * *

Tsubasa comes back to the bedroom only to retrieve his yellow jacket. 

"Wh-where are you going?" she whispers, glancing behind him and half-expecting her husband to be at his heels.

"Going to comb the Surface World to look for you, where else?" He rolls his eyes at her. "He's insisting you got kidnapped, _or worse_ \- and Aniki's already believing it, according to Hou-nee. They may already be halfway to hypothesizing that N Ma got revived and has his hands on you this very moment, the _idiots._ "

"B-But that's ridiculous!"

"No less ridiculous than you hiding from Hikaru-sensei, at any rate." Tsubasa puts his jacket on, missing her stricken look. "We'll be meeting at the house later to help him search - _all_ of us."

"Otoosan and Okaasan, too?" Urara asks faintly, stepping back. "But they're--"

"--on a vacation, I know. It's Kai's idea." He grimaces. "I'll just think of a way to convince the others not to involve them yet. Anyway, I have to go - he's waiting for me out front. If I take too long in here, he might just barge in and drag me." 

Tsubasa begins heading to the door, then looks over his shoulder at her. "Hikaru-sensei looks a _wreck_ , Ura-nee. I hope you know what you're doing to him." 

She draws a deep breath. "It's for Magitopia. For him, too. He... he _doesn't_ need me." She looks away. "Once he's king, he won't anymore."

"If you say so," her brother says, doubt in his voice, before heading out.

* * *

The day after, while Tsubasa was out Urara decides to open her phone.

Perhaps she should call at least one of her siblings, she thinks, to assure them that she's not kidnapped, just... _away._

For the time being.

She scrolls through her contacts, torn between calling either of her older siblings... then dials Makito's number, out of deference for being the oldest.

He doesn't even let the first ring pass before he picks up and yells, _"Urara!"_

"Oniichan," she says, voice trembling. "I'm--"

"Everyone, it's Urara!" Makito seemingly puts the phone in his ear again. "Are you okay? Where are you? Who _has_ you? You just wait, Nii-chan will come get you--"

_"No!"_ she cries, overwhelmed with the knowledge that she's making her family go through _this_ \- all for _her_ sake. "No, I'm--"

"What do you mean-- _hey! Hikaru-sensei,_ I'm not--"

"...Urara?"

She bites her lip so hard she draws blood.

Letting him go would've been so easy if he hadn't been so _wonderful_.

"Talk to me. Where are you? Why--"

But--

For his sake, and Magitopia's...

Urara disconnects the call, turns off her Magiphone - and chooses to barricade herself in Tsubasa's room for the rest of the day.

* * *

Four days later, a half-awake Tsubasa greets her at the breakfast table.

"Good morning," she says tonelessly, before sliding bread and butter towards him - the only edible food she can find around his place. She hesitates a bit before starting, "You were home pretty late last night, Tsubasa--"

"And whose fault is that?" he snipes, taking a piece of bread and cramming it in his mouth. "If you would just go back to Magitopia already, Ura-nee, Hikaru-sensei would stop dragging the rest of us around the world everyday _just_ to find you!" He tore the bread to bits with vengeance. "Man, I've already missed two boxing matches--"

"I _told_ you--"

"That you're doing this for him and Magitopia?" Tsubasa scoffs. "Do you even realize just how much your absence is affecting our lives? We're putting everything on hold to search for you, and I'm _really_ getting sick of lying to the others just to cover for you."

Urara's jaw hurts with how hard she's gnashing her teeth together.

"Hikaru-sense has it the worst, _obviously_. Smoky had been blabbering all day, you know - how he's not eating or sleeping or even teaching those new disciples of his because he's been _so_ worried sick--"

"Stop it," Urara says, placing both hands over her ears in an effort not to hear her brother's words.

Except Tsubasa reaches over to pull her hands away from her face, and she can tell how truly _angry_ her brother is. _"Why_ didn't you tell anyone how lonely you were at Magitopia?"

Urara gapes at him. "H-How--"

"I told you, didn't I? That magical cat talks a lot. Said he saw how affected you were over there because, what, those Heavenly Saints were talking about you?" He crosses his arms. "He also said how Hikaru-sensei's beating himself senseless lately that he didn't even realize you were feeling that way. _Why_ didn't you tell him about--"

"Because what good will _that_ do?" she asks, pulling away from him and hugging herself. "You should see how happy he is to be back there, and I'm... because he's already happy I'm--"

"You sure you're not using _this_ situation to escape your loneliness from that place?" Tsubasa asks point-blank.

"That's--"

"Aren't _these_ the kind of things couples _should_ talk about?"

Unable to respond properly to _that_ , she slams her hands on the table and stands. "If you want me to leave this place, just _say so_ , Tsubasa!"

He glares at her for a full five seconds, sighs, and then rubs his eyes. "That's-- not at all what I'm saying, Ura-nee. If you're not in Magitopia then you're _always_ welcome here. I'd rather keep my eye on you than not know where you are, at any rate." He pauses. "It's just-- you and Hikaru-sensei love each other, don't you? Then why do this? Why not just tell him how you feel - and that you'd support him if ever he decides to become the King?"

"But that's just _it!"_ Urara says. "He doesn't want to be king because he thinks it'll overwhelm me. He's thinking of _me_ instead of Magitopia's sake and _I'm_... not worthy." She slumps on her chair again. "Maybe one day he'll look back in this moment and regret choosing me. Hikaru-sensei... he can be _so much more_ than he is right now if it wasn't for me. If... he hadn't married me. He just... doesn't realize it yet, that's all."

After saying those words she feels as though she's just been split open - and thankful that only Tsubasa is there to witness how _raw_ she is, at that moment. 

"You _really_ believe that?" he asks.

"It's true," she insists. "If he hadn't married me--"

"If he hadn't married you," Tsubasa says quietly, "maybe he wouldn't have a reason to fight N Ma as hard as he did. _Maybe_ we wouldn't have won back then. Maybe we'd even be dead by now - the Surface World and Magitopia, too."

She glances at him. "Eh?"

He shrugs. "I'm just saying it's pointless to speculate possibilities when things are already the way they are."

Urara's shoulders slump. "Still--"

"You need to look at the here and now. _Everyone_ can see how happy Hikaru-sensei is with you - and now we know how broken he can become because he thinks he's lost you." Tsubasa stands, crosses over to her side of the table. "Don't sell yourself short, Ura-nee. You thought he'd think of Magitopia now that you're not beside him? Well, let me tell you - becoming Magitopia's king is the _last_ thing on his mind right now." He places a hand on her shoulder. "You're not doing him _or_ Magitopia any favors by running away and hiding. The way I see it? You're just hurting him _and_ yourself, too, and all for nothing."

He then grabs the bread and butter and goes back to the sofa - where he's been sleeping ever since her untimely arrival - but not before suggesting, "Think about it."

And for a long while, Urara does.

* * *

Next time she sees her brother, she's already managed to clean every nook and cranny of his apartment - even cooked him dinner from the scraps she's picked up from his refrigerator.

Tsubasa looks around him in wonder, then at the food before him. "Ura-nee," he says. "You--"

"It's the least I can do," she replies. "Before I... before I leave."

Her brother's expression darkens and he scratches the back of his head. "Look, I think I may have been too harsh to you this morning--"

She shakes her head. "Don't worry. I'm not heading somewhere else. I'm... going back."

"Ura-nee--"

"What you said? It's something I needed to hear, anyway." She looks down at her feet. "I wasn't thinking too clearly. I just... assumed so many things about Hikaru-sensei that I didn't consider how he might feel, if I left."

_I choose to be a husband to you first. For now, I'm accepting no other role than that._

How can she be so _stupid?_ He can't have made his intentions any clearer than _that._

"Well," Tsubasa says, "if there's one thing that's made clearer to me, it's how much the two of you love each other." He gives her a small smile. "He hasn't stopped looking all over the Surface World for you, while you're ready to suffer all your life _just because_ you thought it would benefit him." He shifts his feet. "It's gross, actually."

She tries to give him a smile back. "I... hope he can forgive me."

"Don't worry. He'll be too happy to have you again that I don't doubt he will." Then Tsubasa straightens. "But... what about your feelings of loneliness, Ura-nee?"

"Oh," she says. "I have Smoky with me anyway--"

Tsubasa frowns at her.

"--and, well, I'll... try to make friends there in Magitopia. Maybe it's time that I reach out to others. I'll _get_ them to get used to me." She shoots him her look of determination.

"Seems like you've thought this through," he says, grinning now.

"Well," she replies, "I need to think about something else, after all - something to distract me from the thought of _how sloppy you've been living in your own home."_

A beat.

"Are you hungry, Ura-nee? Because I'm starving!" Tsubasa shows great interest in the food she's cooked him. "Hmm, this looks soooo good--"

Urara laughs. 

* * *

"Are you ready?" Tsubasa asks her gently the next day.

She nods slowly, her gaze on her feet. Then, before he steps forward she gives him a brief hug. "Thank you, Tsubasa." 

She can feel him smile at her. "Anytime, Ura-nee."

Then her brother goes through the magic barrier, and from her position she hears him say, "Hikaru-sensei. Everyone. Look who I found."

Urara takes a deep breath, then passes through the barrier herself--

\--only to be _immediately_ engulfed by a hug.

From _Kai._

Who happens to stand closest to the barrier when Tsubasa had made his announcement.

_"Chii-nee!"_ their youngest yells into her ear, making her wince and tear up at the same time. "Where the hell have you been? Did you know that I've _almost_ convinced Sphinx to overturn Infershia in case you were somewhere there? In case N Ma really did--"

"Kai," she says, patting his back. "Thank you. Please tell Sphinx there's no need for that, will you?"

He sniffs and steps away - only for Makito to hug her next, strong and crying as _ever._ "Nii-chan was so worried! I even got mad at Hikaru-sensei for not taking care of you, Urara."

She shakes her head at him. "It's not his fault, Oniichan. Please don't be mad at him."

Then Houka pulls their brother away just so she can get a turn in hugging Urara. 

"I'm so happy you're safe, Urara-chan!" her sister says, sounding serious, for once. "We were all so worried for you."

Urara sniffs. "Houka-chan--" 

Tsubasa clears his throat, causing Houka to step away from her sister--

\--and making Urara see her husband _for the first time_ ever since she's made that foolish, foolish decision to leave him.

He stares at her, unblinking. "U-Urara?" Hikaru says softly - as if afraid that she might disappear in the next moment.

She takes in his unkempt appearance - _Hikaru-sensei looks a wreck, Ura-nee_ \- and tears spring up to her eyes even quicker now.

This... all this... is _her_ fault.

"Are you--"

"I'm sorry," she says, her words ending in a sob. "I'm _so--"_

Hikaru takes three steps and pulls her _hard_ against him.

"I thought--" he tells her, curling himself around her smaller form, "I thought--"

She takes a deep breath and looks up at him. Urara finds him absolutely distraught - a far cry from the beautiful, composed man he usually appears as - and she reaches up to wipe at his cheeks.

"Let's go home?" she suggests quietly. 

* * *

Back in their house, Smoky himself has actually offered to brew and serve their tea - all because he was overjoyed to have her back with them in Magitopia.

"Don't _ever_ leave us again, Mama!" he says, almost crushing her in a hug.

"I won't," she replies, her eyes meeting Hikaru's over the cat's shoulder. "I promise." 

Later on their cups of tea sit untouched, because, _of course_ , being a magical cat Smoky doesn't actually know _how_ to brew tea properly.

Urara appreciated the thought, all the same.

"Hikaru-sensei," she starts speaking. "I--"

"No," he interrupts her, reaching for one of her hands to hold. _"No._ _I_ should be the one to say sorry."

"You--"

"Back then I wasn't being completely honest with you, Urara," he says, his eyes on his tea cup. "I... told you the reason I didn't want to become king was because I didn't want to burden you, but the truth is... _I_ don't want the burden of it. I _never_ dreamed of carrying it. I'm happy now, with you, like this - and I'm afraid being a king will jeopardize everything." Absently, he runs his thumb against the back of her hand. "It almost did."

"Hikaru-sensei," she whispers.

"I used you as an excuse. I should have realized that it would push you away... because you thought you'd be helping me that way, didn't you? That if you were gone I would-- I _should_ have realized--"

"Magitopia _would_ be better with you as king," Urara tells him earnestly. "I believe it."

"I _don't_ ," Hikaru says. "If I become king, I don't think I'll ever be any good at it - because my heart will _never_ be in ruling others. Only _teaching_ them." He squeezes her hand. "I don't want it. I'll _never_ want it. And I should have told you that from the start."  
  
_Aren't_ these _the kind of things couples_ should _talk about?_

"Why didn't you?" she prompts him.

He sighs. "I suppose I was afraid you'd think less of me, if I do."

Oh her foolish, _foolish_ husband.

Urara cups his face in her hands and says, "Don't you know? I'll _never_ think any less of you, Hikaru-sensei. Not even if you _force_ me to."

"Urara--"

"It's settled," she says, smiling now and dropping a kiss on his forehead. "Tomorrow I'll speak with Snowgel - and tell her we've _both_ decided to turn down her offer. I just hope she can find someone as wonderful and amazing as you - though I kind of doubt that."

Her husband hesitates. "That's-- perhaps it's better to reschedule talking to Snowgel," he suggests, wincing slightly. "I... might have offended her, when we spoke last."

" _H-Hikaru-sensei!_ " she shrieks, scandalized.

"I'll apologize tomorrow morning," he promises. _"After_ I've brought you to school with me."

Urara blinks at him, unsure if she's heard him right. "After--"

Hikaru stands. "I realize that you've been cooped up in this house ever since we started living here. It's my fault; I wanted you all to myself that I hadn't thought about what _you_ might feel about that." He turns to her. "So, tomorrow... I want you to go to school with me, to meet everyone there. Who knows, maybe we can even find something that'll keep you busy there - so you won't _ever_ be lonely again. And, that way... you'll always be close to me."

_Maybe it's time that I reach out to others. I'll_ get _them to get used to me._

She jumps to her feet to hug him. "I'd like that _very_ much. Thank you."

He curls himself around her. "Promise me you won't ever leave me again?"  
  
She buries her face in his chest. "I promise."  
  
 _I love you._


End file.
